Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia's hockey players have always had a great amount of success, and I'd like to tell you about another terrific young athlete and his family, from Dardanup, in my electorate of Forrest. Earlier this year Jake Harvie was selected to represent Australia as part of the Kookaburras squad that competed in the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Jake returned from the Commonwealth games with a gold medal, after the Kookaburras defeated New Zealand 2-0 in the final. It was the second gold medal he has won while representing Australia, after also being successful in the International Hockey Federation Hockey World League in 2017. He followed his Commonwealth Games victory with a third gold medal, at the 2018 Hockey Champions Trophy in the Netherlands. That's three gold medals representing his country, at the tender age of 20.

Jake comes from a fantastic Western Australian sporting dynasty, with his grandfather Gordon Pearce representing Australia on the hockey field at three Olympic Games. Gordon's four brothers also represented Australia in hockey at a national level. All five brothers once played together in the same match, in the Western Australian first XI team. Jake's father, Russell, is a hockey development coach at our very own South West Academy of Sport, and his mother, Carolyn, was a talented swimmer and basketball player. Jake's younger brother Tom is also a rising star on the international hockey scene, after representing our nation and claiming gold at the Youth Olympic Games qualifiers this year in Papua New Guinea.

Despite his pedigree in the sport, Jake has said he has never felt any pressure from his parents to play hockey. Jake Harvie and his family are a prime example of how our regional sporting stars don't just compete on the international stage but can excel on it, as long as they have access to the training and resources that are available in our regions. Jake's international hockey career will continue, after he gained selection this month to represent Australia with the Kookaburras, this time at the Hockey World Cup in India, where I am absolutely sure that Jake will continue to shine on the field. He is the second-youngest player on the 20-man squad and one of five Western Australians named in the side.

I wish him and the rest of the team the very best of luck when they face Ireland on Friday in their opening match. Let's hope they're able to win their third world cup in a row and Jake is able to claim his fourth gold medal in less than 18 months. This is an exceptional achievement. I'm particularly proud of Jake, his brother Tom and our hockey players. I think all of us in this House would wish the Australian Kookaburras all the very best in their next endeavour.